Turkey earthquake: As huge cracks continue to appear, Istanbul residents fear homes will collapse

More than a month after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey, Istanbul residents are suffering from fear that homes will collapse.

People search for survivors in the collapsed Iskenderun intensive care unit of a state hospital following the earthquake in the Iskenderun district of Turkey’s Hatay province. (Photo: Reuters)

By India Today World Disk: Two powerful earthquakes in Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, which have claimed nearly 50,000 lives, have created a new state of urgency in its largest city, Istanbul. The BBC reports that as huge cracks continue to appear in the city’s buildings, residents are at risk of homes collapsing.

The city of 15 million people is located on a fault line in North Anatolia and is expected to experience a major earthquake of its own before 2030, according to experts.

Approximately 70% of the city’s buildings were constructed before stricter building codes were introduced in 1999, and are therefore considered potentially hazardous. A study recently revealed that a seismic event in this region could lead to the death of up to 90,000 people. Hence, efforts are underway to prepare the city for such an event.

Also read | Another earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck Turkey, after weeks of deadly tremors

One of the residents, Mesut, who had just returned from Kahramanmaras, where he lost his relatives, was forced to leave his apartment in Istanbul.

It happened at 04:17, a relative called and we all woke up screaming, “Masood’s face broke down in tears and he turned away to feel calmer.

“It’s a horrible situation. We just couldn’t get to it.” [to Kahramanmaras] For three days because of the snow, and when we got to the ruins it was very difficult. I can’t describe it. I hope God will not let anyone else experience this.”

When Mesut returned to Istanbul, the authorities cut off the electricity and water to his apartment. “I asked them to come back just so we could move. They gave me two more days.”

Also read | A man pulls out of the rubble 160 hours after a massive earthquake struck Turkey

“The municipality sent us a written warning about this, but the situation was not resolved due to the refusal of the neighbors. We knew that our facilities would be closed, and we were ready to leave here, but then the earthquake happened and everything became a mess.”

In the aftermath of the earthquakes in southern Turkey, more than 100,000 requests were submitted to the Istanbul Municipality for building safety checks. The waiting period for inspections has increased from three to four months and continues to rise. Both renters and landlords are now eligible to apply, but the financial implications discourage some from doing so. Compensation for those who need to vacate buildings sentenced to death is insufficient, and there are no official statistics indicating the number of buildings that fail a safety test.

A stroll along an average street in Istanbul reveals why. Many buildings have specific design features that could cause them to collapse if subjected to seismic stress. Dr. Kurtulus Atasefer, a structural and seismic engineer, brought up some of these issues during a meeting.

Also read | Hasty rebuilding may put Turkey at risk of another earthquake disaster

He said high quality concrete and architecture is vital. “We have some overhangs here. In this type of building we have some weak or soft floors. There are short overhangs as well, it’s really all typical building problems,” the BBC quoted Atasefer as saying.

Quite simply, each of these design flaws reduces the strength of the building at ground level, making it difficult to support the floors above in the event of an earthquake. The overhang extends the width of the building beyond its foundation, while the soft floors have a ground floor taller than the upper floors. The short shafts lack the necessary length in relation to their diameter.

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March 12, 2023

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